


no title, just lava lamps (how Root found herself with a collection of lava lamps)

by modestroad



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-25 04:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12523324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/modestroad/pseuds/modestroad
Summary: Shaw comes back and Root only has one lava lamp.That number will change in the following months.





	no title, just lava lamps (how Root found herself with a collection of lava lamps)

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to @alicekittridge for her help and for the prompt. The prompt was “ Shaw coming home to the subway and finding Root has a collection of lava lamps “ and that’s…not what I wrote. Because of personal issues, I gave up writing and now I'm trying to write again.

Shaw comes back and Root only has one lava lamp.

That number will change in the following months.

 

 

 

Shaw wakes up to sheets that a) aren’t white and b) don’t smell that fresh, and for a moment she thinks she’s inside a simulation. Her heart rate goes up and for a moment (just one moment) she panics.

And then she sees Root stretching to the light of a lava lamp in the middle of the room, headphones on, hair up in a messy ponytail, as she tries (and succeed) to touch her knees with her head. She holds that position long enough for Shaw’s body to start to ache.

“Hey,” Shaw says and when Root doesn’t hear her, she clearsher throat and tries again, but this time waving her hand. “Hey, hey, Root.”

Shaw doesn’t know if she got her attention or if the Machine told Root that she’s awake, but Root takes her headphones off and smiles, but doesn’t stretch up. “You know, while you were away, I had to go undercover as a prima ballerina and I must say, I was really good.”

6, 741 simulations and not once had Samaritan gotten Root right.

 

 

Root gets shot.

John gets shot.

Harold leaves.

Shaw takes Bear for very long walks while the two idiots are recovering.

Surprisingly enough both are following the doctor’s orders to the point where Shaw starts to touch behind her ear just to make sure.

Again, Shaw doesn’t know if the Machine 2.0 informs Root or if Root is being Root, but Root asks for a lava lamp one warm summer night.

“Afraid of the dark, Root?” John teases and Shaw wants to ask when this happened, this relationship between John and Root because last time she checked they didn’t get along.

“Not the dark,” Root licks her lips because talking is still an effort. “Just the boogeyman.”

Shaw might be a little too close to Root’s face when she says, “I thought you were the boogeyman, Root,” and watches, with delight, as Root’s eyes light up with a smile.

She buys Root a purple lava lamp next morning.

To annoy John, of course.

 

 

 

Harold comes back without Grace, but with Italian pastries that he bought from little Italy and twenty minutes of apologies.

John forgives him right away.

Root eats two pastries without saying a word.

Shaw tells him exactly what she thinks of him before eating the rest of the box.

Root licks her fingers and asks for time alone with Harold.

Shaw never learns what they talked about, but the following day there’s a blue lava lamp next to her purple one.

 

 

 

Six months after the fall of Samaritan, Machine 2.0 gives Root her first assignment. Nothing too fancy, just your not so friendly neighbor dealer.

Easy job.

Clean job.

Stretch-your-muscles job.

“Okay, that’s creepy.” Fusco says and Shaw can tell how proud he is to finally know about the Machine. “You can’t tell me this is not creepy. How are you okay with a machine using your voice?”

Root tilts her head and looks at him as if he has grown a second head. “I like the sound of my voice.”

Shaw doesn’t even try to hide her smile. Instead she asks, “Are you going to be alright?” and receives no answer.

 

Which is why she drives like crazy in the middle of the night after a text from the Machine. A simple HELP ROOT was enough to ruin any plans Shaw had for the night. They didn’t survive a war to lose one of them in a street fight.

Once at the destination, she parks the car, makes sure she has enough ammo, and steps outside. The street is quiet, but that means nothing. For all she knows twenty people are waiting for her. She makes as little noise as she can and uses dark corners to hide, but inside is as quiet as outside.

That’s when she sees the first body.

It’s not Root, but it is enough to make her move a little faster.

The second body has her running into the apartment ready to shoot anything that moves.

She finds three more bodies, but no Root.

“What the hell?” she whispers, and almost immediately she gets another text: FIRE ESCAPE.

She finds Root there, sitting with her hoodie on, staring straight ahead, brooding in silence. Shaw sits next to her saying nothing. When Root wants to talk she’ll talk. It is enough to Shaw to know that she’s alright and not in need of a medical attention. A brooding Root she can stand, a bloody one…she’s not sure.

“I was so tired,” Root says twenty or so minutes later.

“It’s okay,” Shaw reassure her.

“It’s been six months.”

“Root,” Shaw raises her voice, “you died. You didn’t almost die. You  _died_. Flat lined. Your body needs time. Believe me, it’s okay.”

From the way she continues to look straight ahead Shaw can tell that she doesn’t really believe her, but when five minutes later Shaw suggest they move on, Root stands up and walks inside. Shaw starts to put a protective hand at the middle of Root’s back when something in the library caught her eye and she stops.

There, between fantasy and sci-fi books stands a dusty, green lava lamp.

Shaw reaches for her and when Root turns to look at her, she handles the lamp. “For your collection. Those guys won’t miss it.”

 

 

 

The next lava lamp, a yellow one, is a gift from Lionel. His kid needs love advice and Fusco knows he’s the last one to talk. Sure, he isn’t the scumbag he once was, but if he knew what to do he would still be married. So he does the next best thing; he goes to his friends for advices.

He doesn’t even bother with John.

He is a lost cause.

Glasses…well, nope.

He takes Shaw out for a burger and drinks because he owns her a dinner and not because he wants to ask for her help.

Jeez. He’s desperate not  _that_  desperate!

That leaves only one person and if he wants to be honest, cocoa puffs has hit one hell of a piece.

And because he loves his son so much he sits and endures all the crazy, but at the end the smile on Lee’s face is worth it.

“Here,” he gives Root a yellow lava lamp. “Um, thanks.” ****

 

 

 

One year after the fall of Samaritan, Grace gives Root a red lava lamp with a smile and an explanation. “Harold said you love them.”

Root hugs Grace and can tell that the other woman is a little surprised, but she hugs Root back and they are going to get along just fine.

 

 

 

Sometimes Root lights all five lamps and puts ambient music while on her computer. Shaw is sure she does it just to piss her off (who likes ambient music anyway?), but she never can tell with Root. Today though she doesn’t mind. She had a long week, she’s lying comfortable next to Root, and she finds the colours relaxing.

Still, it’s a weird ass collection, and Shaw makes a comment about it.

“My lava lamps?” Root doesn’t take her eyes from the screen nor stops typing.

“Yep.”

“Can you keep a secret, Sameen?” Root asks after a while and Shaw nods. “I only asked Harry to buy me one just to mess up with him.”

“You what?”

“I don’t even like those things.”

For some reason Shaw feels so insulted. Like,  _so_  insulted! “You’re such a weirdo.”

“You know what’s weird?” Root stops what’s she doing and looks at Shaw. “I really love my lava lamps. Every single one of them.”

Instead of saying anything, Shaw kisses Root softly and then she remembers something. “But the purple is your favourite, right?”

Root doesn’t smile, doesn’t even break contact, “Yes, the purple is most definitely my favourite one.”

Shaw looks so smug when she says, “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”


End file.
